DJ Mag Canada 013 - January 2014 | Page 78

words: MICK WILSON TECHNEWS SOUNDBYTES GEMINI RISING Can Gemini’s G4V four-channel budget DJ controller propel Gemini back to the top of the pack? p.082 addressable MIDI ports for each USB connection, improved hardware effects and multi-client core audio and ASIO support. One of the biggest selling-points the Rane Sixty Four has to lord over Pioneer’s DJM-900SRT is the fact that it has two USB ports on-board, making seamless DJ handovers possible with both DJs using nothing but Serato. This extra USB port is also completely independent of the other, having its own assignable MIDI port, which is an ace in the pack — especially when it comes to club installations. However, it’s a shame that the USB ports are on the back of the mixer rather than the top. The internal soundcard within the Sixty Four is also rather special, with a whopping 22 channels giving this mixer the ability to simultaneously support control signal pick-up and playback for four Serato decks, provide USB send and return for software effects, and record the main mix in pristine 24-bit, 48kHz quality all at the same time. IN THE STUDIO WITH... SOLOMUN The Diynamic don gets technical. p.084 This mixer performs exactly the way we have come to expect from Rane — flawlessly. Each mixer channel has three-band isolator EQs plus high-pass/ low-pass filters in addition to a gain control, cue and filter engage buttons, and a source select knob located at the top of each channel for easy reference. Rounding off the gorgeous mixer section, Rane’s proprietary magnetic crossfader has been installed to give precise control with no travel noise or bleed to ruin the fun. The Sixty Four also has a generous amount of outputs with a main out, booth out and digital session out — each with its own gain control knob located in the master section of this mixer. The two control strips that sit either side of the mixer section are bound to excite Serato DJ aficionados and make full use of the tight integra [ۈ